Acetyl Hexapeptide-3 (Ac-EEMQRR), Marketed as Argireline — The Complete History

The Discovery

Act 1: The Problem

Wrinkles Form From Muscle Movement

Key Moment

Over one year, your face moves more than one million times.

Your face is incredibly expressive. Every emotion shows up as muscle movement. You smile using the muscles around your mouth. You frown using muscles in your forehead. You squint using muscles around your eyes. Over one year, your face moves more than one million times. Over a lifetime, these movements leave permanent marks. The deepest wrinkles are expression lines: forehead wrinkles from frowning, crow's feet from smiling, frown lines between the brows. By age 40, these lines are deep grooves. By age 60, they define your whole face. Scientists knew that stopping muscle movement stops wrinkles. But the only way to do that was Botox injections, which cost thousands of dollars per year and required needles.